9 Working with JSF and MyFaces Applications

This chapter describes how to configure Coherence*Web for JavaServer Faces (JSF) and MyFaces applications. JSF is a framework that enables you to build user interfaces for Web applications. MyFaces, from the Apache Software Foundation, provides JSF components that extend the JSF specification. MyFaces components are completely compatible with the JSF 1.1 Reference Implementation or any other compatible implementation.

9.1 Configuring for all JSF and MyFaces Web Applications:

JSF and MyFaces attempts to cache the state of the view in the session object. This state data should be serializable by default, but there could be situations where this would not be the case. For example:

If Coherence*Web reports IllegalStateException due to a non-serializable class, and all the attributes placed in the session by your Web-application are serializable, then you must configure JSF/MyFaces to store the state of the view in a hidden field on the rendered page.

If the Web application puts non-serializable objects in the session object, you must set the coherence-preserve-attributes context parameter to true.

The JSF parameter javax.faces.STATE_SAVING_METHOD identifies where the state of the view is stored between requests. By default, the state is saved in the servlet session. Set the STATE_SAVING_METHOD parameter to client in the context-param stanza of the web.xml file, so that JSF stores the state of the entire view in a hidden field on the rendered page. If you do not, then JSF may attempt to cache that state, which is not serializable, in the session object.

9.2 Configuring for Instrumented Applications that use MyFaces

If you are deploying the MyFaces application with the Coherence*Web WebInstaller (that is, an instrumented application), then you might have to complete an additional step based on the version of MyFaces.

If you are using Coherence*Web WebInstaller to deploy a Web-application built with a pre-1.1.n version of MyFaces, then nothing more needs to be done.

If you are using Coherence*Web WebInstaller to deploy a Web-application built with a 1.2.x version of MyFaces, then add the context parameter org.apache.myfaces.DELEGATE_FACES_SERVLET to the web.xml file. This parameter allows you to specify a custom servlet instead of the default javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.

9.3 Configuring for Instrumented Applications that Mojarra

If you are using Coherence*Web WebInstaller to deploy a Web application based on the JSF Reference Implementation (Mojarra), then you must declare the FacesServlet class in the servlet stanza of the web.xml file.

9.4 Configuring for Non-Instrumented Applications that Use MyFaces and Coherence SPI

If you are using the Coherence SPI to deploy a Web application built with MyFaces, then nothing more needs to be done. This is the recommended method of running MyFaces with Coherence*Web.

9.5 Configuring for Non-Instrumented Applications that use Mojarra and Coherence SPI

If you are using the Coherence SPI to deploy a Web application based on the JSF Reference Implementation (Mojarra), then nothing needs to be done. This is the recommended method of running JSF with Coherence*Web.

Scripting on this page enhances content navigation, but does not change the content in any way.